Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 1 Hansard (30 January) . . Page.. 5 ..

MR STANHOPE (continuing):

Regardless of this, there were those who grabbed what they imagined was a perfect opportunity for a cheap shot. I and, I know, fellow Canberrans were appalled by the criticism that was directed at our firefighters and those who were in command. On 21 January the Daily Telegraph reported that "nothing moved faster than the ACT fireball, except the instant critics."Some critics even went so far as to suggest that the ACT should be handed back to New South Wales, claiming that we were incapable of governing ourselves.

In the words of one Kambah resident, Steve Rodgers, in a letter to the Australian:

Criticising our firefighters-who refused to stop, even though they were fatigued; who continued to fight the fires, even though they had lost homes themselves; who gave every ounce of their strength to defend our homes and lives-only served to heap an undeserved sense of guilt on top of the worries they already had. For the record, let me say that everyone involved did an absolutely magnificent job. They have the deepest gratitude of every Canberran. I stand by them and I will defend them to the end.

Thanks also to the Commonwealth, New South Wales and Queensland governments, who answered our calls for assistance with firefighters and resources. Thanks, of course, to the individual firefighters from those states who put their lives on hold to help in the defence of our city.

I would also like to thank John Murray, the Chief Police Officer; Mike Castle, chief executive of the Emergency Services Bureau; Peter Lucas-Smith, the ACT Fire Controller; and Ian Bennett, the Fire Commissioner, whose strong and confident leadership ensured that the disaster, although severe, was less severe than it could have been.

The utility workers from ActewAGL have also done an incredible job, working day and night to restore electricity, gas and water supplies to a huge number of homes. John Mackay, chief executive officer of ActewAGL, points out that those workers, together with colleagues who came to the ACT from interstate, achieved almost nine months output in nine days of non-stop work.

Similarly, Telstra staff have done a tremendous job in restoring telephone services to those affected. I know their efforts have been appreciated by the community. Work by members of Australia's defence forces has also been greatly appreciated. They have worked hard to rebuild infrastructure destroyed in the fires, as well as supporting our emergency services as they confronted the disaster.

Finally, I would like to thank members of the ACT public service. Staff from practically every agency responded to the disaster by dropping whatever they were doing and staffing the evacuation centres and assisting in the co-ordination of the initial response to the fires.

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .